The end of the strikes ?

Several of you emailed me asking "I'm coming to Paris next week or so, how difficult will it be to go from the airport to town and to move around Paris afterwards?" Well, good news, the strikes are coming to an end and even though some strikers still don't accept to give in, it's very likely that everything will be back to normal next week. And don't forget, you can still use the Velibs to move around Paris now!!

What transportation strike?

I don't know how long the strikes will last, but so far so good. People get organized, they walk, use roller blades or, drive their bike - or Vélib' - to work (I took this photo this morning on Place de la Concorde). Also, as always in difficult times, people talk to each other much more, they share their feelings, help each other... Of course that is, those who live in Paris for the ones who live in the suburbs and have to suffer the long hours in the traffic probably don't agree with me!

Last call for the retirement train

I know you must be a little fed up with demonstration photos, but, well, this is what's happening in Paris at the moment. Like last month (I was on vacation, so I could not witness it) the public transportation workers went on strike and demonstrated near Montparnasse (where I took this photo) to protest the elimination of special rules that allow them to retire earlier than the vast majority of the French. In 1995 the same kind of reform triggered a complete shut down of the country for a month and the government had to give in. This time though, it is very unlikely that the outcome will be the same.

On strike!

Soooo. Let's see, who's on strike at the moment? Air France just finished, the railway company too, but will give it another shot next month, together with the civil servants (same day), the judges will also go on strike next month... I also came across this one, at the opera where - like in the railway company - employees have a specific pension scheme. You've got to say: a protest banner looks much better in front of a prestigious building such as Le Palais Garnier.

On Strike!

Aaaah, the good old French traditions! Today - Oct 18 - is a "black Thursday" as they call it because almost all public transports (trains, Metro, buses) will be on strike - in Paris only one Metro line (out of 14) will work. The reason for this strike? A dispute over pension schemes: public transport workers have to work less long than the rest of the French before they are entitled to draw a full pension. The Government says it's unfair, but they disagree... Last time a Government tried to change this (1995), the strike lasted more than one month and the Prime Minister had to withdraw the law. This time, I think the outcome will be different.

Taxi Strike

No way you could find a taxi in Paris around noon today, they were all at the Invalides (you can see the dome in the background), demonstrating for their rights! There is a limited number of taxis in Paris and the Government wants to free up the market and remove this limit. This would result in more competition, therefore less revenues... I'd be interested in knowing if there are taxi limitations also where you live. PS: those who think that a Taxi strike can only happen in France are wrong! I just saw a news story regarding a strike in Toronto today. There was also one in NYC at the end of August!